Gaven
- Gender
- Male
- Meaning
- White Hawk
- Origin
- Scottish
About the Name Gaven
Gaven is a Scottish name meaning "white hawk" and a variant of Gawain or Gavin, names tied to the legendary tradition of Arthurian romance, where Sir Gawain stood among the most celebrated knights of the Round Table. The alternate "-en" spelling gives this name a fresh, contemporary look while preserving its noble, falcon-bright heritage. It is a name that carries both knightly history and vivid natural imagery.
The name combines the chivalric resonance of the Gawain family with the keen, graceful image of the white hawk, a symbol of sharpness and nobility. Gaven offers a personalized take on a storied classic, appealing to parents who want a name with legendary roots and a distinctive, modern touch. Its blend of romance and freshness places it among the names that honor tradition while still sounding current and individual. The vivid image of a white hawk gives it a poetic edge, while the connection to the Round Table lends it a sense of courage and honor.
Gaven first entered the US Social Security top-1000 in 2000 and appeared through 2008, reaching its peak in 2003 at rank #687. It registered 221 births in 2008 at rank #922, with 223 in 2007 at #899 and 196 in 2006 at #951, reflecting a steady presence in the 2000s before it slipped from the top-1000. The variant Gavan is recorded, offering another spelling of this hawk-bright, knightly name.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration name data, 1880–2024 (methodology). By Marvin Tang.
Quick Facts About Gaven
US Popularity History (2000–2008)
Annual US births named Gaven by gender, from US Social Security Administration records. Peak year: 2003 with 282 boys named Gaven (boy rank #687 that year).
Where it stands today: in 2008, ranked #922 for boys (221 US births). That's 235 places below its 2003 peak.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Limitations: US birth-certificate data only; names appearing fewer than 5 times in a given year are suppressed for privacy; spelling variants are counted separately. For names that ranked outside the US top 100 before year 2000, only the years they reached the top 100 are shown — the chart may have gaps for less-popular historical names.
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Where in the US Is Gaven Most Popular?
Average boy-name rank within each state across 2006–2015 SSA records. A lower number means the name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name rankings — a per-capita measure that isn't biased toward large states. For Gaven the strongest states are Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana.
Strongest boys-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky | #492 | 21 |
| 2 | Arkansas | #493 | 25 |
| 3 | Louisiana | #569 | 34 |
| 4 | Tennessee | #690 | 45 |
| 5 | Missouri | #699 | 27 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | #728 | 52 |
| 7 | Ohio | #738 | 90 |
| 8 | Michigan | #749 | 46 |
| 9 | Washington | #796 | 19 |
| 10 | Indiana | #803 | 24 |
Weakest boys-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | #881 | 27 |
| 2 | Indiana | #803 | 24 |
| 3 | Washington | #796 | 19 |
| 4 | Michigan | #749 | 46 |
| 5 | Ohio | #738 | 90 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | #728 | 52 |
| 7 | Missouri | #699 | 27 |
| 8 | Tennessee | #690 | 45 |
| 9 | Louisiana | #569 | 34 |
| 10 | Arkansas | #493 | 25 |
Source: SSA state-level baby-name dataset 2006–2015. States with fewer than 3 years of data for Gaven in this window are excluded. Births < 5 in a given state-year are suppressed by SSA for privacy.
Variant Forms
| Name | Meaning | Gender | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gavan | White Hawk. From The Medieval Name Gawain. See Also Gwayne. | Male | Scottish |
Looking for names like Gaven?
A dedicated page with 60+ related names — spelling variants, rhymes, alliterations, same-origin matches, and shared meaning concepts — lives at its own URL so each kind of similarity gets a deeper treatment than fits here.
Compare Gaven to Other Popular Names
Side-by-side popularity charts and crossover years for Gaven against today's most popular boys-name peers (top 8 by US births in the last 10 years of SSA records).